Letters from readers

Wednesday

Jun 24, 2009 at 12:01 AM

CITY BUDGET

Contracting services

I agree with a letter writer that many of the city government's programs and services could be contracted out.

They should start with the city's Office of General Counsel. There are at least 39 lawyers on the city payroll, which does not include all the secretaries and clerks. Many of these lawyers receive very large salaries.

The Times-Union is always reporting on city employee salaries, but we rarely hear about the salaries of the lawyers in the General Counsel's Office, nor its total budget.

CORRINE HARRIS

Jacksonville

CARRIER AT MAYPORT

Move is justified

Part of the duties of high ranking military officials, the "best and brightest," appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, is to decide how to best fight a war, provide locations of troops, weapons and home ports of ships.

Why does Virginia's congressional delegations "muddy the water" by opposing decisions of these high-ranking officials? A decision to home-port an aircraft carrier at Mayport was made long ago.

Pier upgrades and dredging are needed for the nuclear aircraft carrier that will replace the past conventional fueled carriers (USS John F. Kennedy and USS Saratoga are examples).

A Pearl Harbor or Sept. 11, 2001, on the Tidewater area is not improbable. Meanwhile, the Pacific fleet is located in Bremerton, Everett, San Diego and Yokosuka.

Virginia congressional representatives tout lack of funding, and fight to remove funding for dredging the harbor in Mayport to enable the Navy to replace the USS John F. Kennedy with a nuclear aircraft carrier. But they are indifferent to a $72.6 million modification to a construction contract on the George H. W. Bush, which includes some compartment modifications and minor repairs that should have been included in the original construction costs.

DOYLE QUISENBERRY,

former Atlantic Fleet logistics plans officer,

Virginia Beach., Va.

HANDSON JACKSONVILLE

Group is nonpartisan

One of last week's letters linked HandsOn Jacksonville and our upcoming environmental volunteer project, "Clean, Green Earth" to the writer's political agenda for health care reform.

The letter writer is neither a staff member nor a volunteer affiliated with HandsOn Jacksonville. Further, this use of our name in conjunction with a partisan political cause was neither authorized nor agreed to by any representative of HandsOn Jacksonville.

Our members represent all political views and affiliations.

While we appreciate folks who recruit volunteers to help with our projects, it is inaccurate to suggest we are in a partnership with the organization and cause the letter describes.

JUDITH A. M. SMITH,

president and CEO,

HandsOn Jacksonville, Inc.

MARRIAGE

A special contract

Granny and I understand contracts - like the one we shared, hands-and-hearts - a mere 70 years ago with one ring and a lot of prayers.

Honeymoons are happy times, but when the gleam and glitter begin to flicker, the eternal game of give, take and share begins its lifetime journey.

It is not easy - never will be - but whoever said that 70 years of togetherness would be easy?

Love is an easy word to say, but that's how it starts.

Though love changes like everything else, if the couple holds hands and smile - grimly or gladly, teeth clenched or smiling - the hot sparks cannot be smothered,

The contract, by God's grace, remains in force.

Advice: Argue holding hands!

S. JAMES BEALE,

retired physician,

Jacksonville

REPLY: DROPPING FEES

What's the alternative?

Former state Rep. Andy Johnson recently wrote a letter in which he called for the repeal of the fees for storm water runoff, garbage collection and the utility fee on the JEA bill.

If these fees are repealed, what is the alternative for garbage collection?

Raise property taxes? Increase the JEA bill, just don't call it a fee?

Charge per bag of garbage? That would lead to illegal dumping on private property.

To demand that the mayor and the City Council repeal these three fees without offering an alternative way of paying for the cost of these essential services is a clear and shining example of offering half-baked opinions.

JON SACKERSON

Jacksonville

GUANTANAMO

Mixed-up priorities

President Barack Obama is sending the Chinese Muslim "terrorists" from Guantanamo to Bermuda.

Soon he will send more "terrorists" to the South Pacific island of Palau and even pay Palau $200 million to show them a good time.

Obviously, Obama misunderstood the problem.

He thought we were using Gitmo to mistreat "tourists," not "terrorists."

LUKE MEMMINGER

Jacksonville

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